Tire building machine



April 10, 1945- F. s. STERNAD ET AL TIRE BUILDING MACHINE Filed May 27, 1944 2 Sheets-Sheet l UL/ETZZZDE'E JEarz' 5-5fEEz7ad ma //z Aprii 10, 1945. I F. s. STERNAD ET AL 2,373,354

TIRE BUILDING MACHINE Jah 1 -5 Patented Apr. 10, 1945 Frank s. Sternad, Cuyahoga Falls, and John P.

Sapp, Kent, Ohio, assignors to The B. F. Goodrich Company, New York,

of New York N. Y., a corporation Application May 27, 1944, Serial No. 537,685

SfCIaims. o1;154 1'0) j j Thi invention relates tomachines for building pneumatic tire casings and is particularly useful in forming plies about the outside of the casing at the bead cores and in breaking loose the casing from the building form. J

Heretofore in building tire casings of large size on undercut drums, it has been difficult to form outer plies of rubberized cords or fabric about the outer surfaces of the bead cores and to turnthem under and form them to the inner faces'of the bead cores between the casing and the former. Also, loosening the casing from the former to per-,- mit removal of the casing ha involved. considerable difficulty.

Objects of the invention are to provide'effectively for overcoming or avoiding effectively these and other difi'iculties; to provide stability of con.- trol of the tools with adequate force of application thereof, to provide substantially automatic action in a cycle of operation, to provide for improved advance and retraction of the tools, and to provide for convenience ofmanufacture and uniform high quality of the product.

These and other objects will appear from the following description and the accompanying drawings.

Of the drawings: a M

Fig. 1 is a plan view of apparatu constructed in accordance with and embodying the, invention, showing the tire and building form in section, the position of the tools being shown in full lines in their final breaking-away position, and, being indicated in dot-and-dash lines in their outermost inoperative position, parts being broken away.

2 is a side view of the same, thetools being shown in full lines in their breaking-away position and in dot-and-dash lines in their raised inoperative position, parts beingbroken away.

Fig. 3 is a diagram of the. control mechanism.

Referring to the drawings, the numeral l designates a tire former or building drum of the undercut type, having undercut sidewalls I2. A tire casing 3 comprising plies of rubberized cord or fabric, and inextensible bead core I l, I5 is shown on the drum. The drum is adapted to rotate about a horizontal axi and is supportedby a power-operated drive (not shown).

A stationary frame 20 is mounted near the drive and is formed with ways 2|, 22 extending radially of the drum in a horizontal direction tov slideably support a carriage 23 movable toward and from the tire former. For adjusting the carriage along'the Ways to set the tool for operation upon tires of difierent diameters, the carriage has a threaded nut 24 fixed thereto, a screw 25 is journaled in the frame 2|], as by means of a bracket 26 and it threaded portion engages through the nut. A hand wheel 21 is fixed to the screw at one side of the bracket 26, and a collar 28 is fixed to thescrew at theotherside of the bracket. The

axis of the screw is parallel to the ways 2|, 22'- and the arrangement is such that by turning the hand wheel 21 the carriage 23 may be adjusted to any desired position relative to the drum.

For supporting. the tools and moving .them from aninoperative position to an operative position, a shaft 30 is rotatably mounted. in bearings 3|, 32 on carriage 23. .The ends of the shafts have feather keys 53, 34. Brackets 35,36 are slidably mounted on the ends of the shaft and are providedwith keyways to fit the feather keys. A pair of adjustingscrews 31, 38 are arranged parallel to shaft ,30 and are journaled in bearing 39, 4|) mounted on the ends of the shaft. The screws 37, 38 have threaded engagement withbrackets 35, 36 respectively. The arrangement is such that the brackets may bev adjusted along the shaft to accommodate building drums of different widths.

. Shaft 30, has an arm 39 fixed thereto at its- Each bracket 35, 36 has an arm 52 or 53 fixed thereto. Single-acting fluid pressure cylinders 54,

'55, are pivotally mounted respectively, as at 55, 51

on arms,52, 53. Cylinder 54 has a piston 58 connectedzto a piston rod 59. The outboard end of rod59 is pivotally connected to arm 50, as at 65. A; compression coil spring 6| encircling rod 59 has its ends impinging against a stop collar 62 near the end of.-rod.59. and a collar '63 carried by cylinder 54. The arrangement is such that arm 5|). is normallyforced outwardly away from the central plane of. the drum and. the cylinder 54 acts to force it. laterally toward the drum. Cylinder .55 likewise has a piston 64 and rod 65 surrounded by a spring 66 and attached pivotally to arm 5| for swinging it.

In the position of the arms shown in full lines in Figs. 1 and 2 thearms 50,-5l are substantially parallel and horizontal being held in such positions by fluid pressur applied to cylinders 54,

is also applied to the rod end of cylinder 40 to hold them horizontal. Upon release of fluid pressure in cylinders 54, 55, the arms are forced outwardly to the dot-and-dash position of Fig. l by springs SI, 66. Upon applying fluid pressure to the head end of cylinder II) and exhausting the rod end, arms 50, may be elevated to the vertical position shown in dot-and-dash lines in Fig. 2 to move them out of the way of the operator.

For manipulating the stitching tools a pair of tool carriers 10, H are pivotally mounted respectively upon shafts 12, I3 rotatably mounted on the outboard ends of arms 50, 5|, the axes of the shafts being' vertical when the arms are horizon-' tal as in the full-line positions of Figs. 1 and 2.

Shafts 14, 1.5 are slideably mounted in tool carriers 10, II respectively with their axes at 90 degrees to the shafts 12, I3. stitcher wheels T6, 11 are fixed to'theends of theshafts and are or mushroom shape. Rollers I0, .19 ar motatably mounted on the shafts and providecontinuations of the stem faces of the stitchersr Thestitcher shafts have collars 80, 0| fixedtotheir'outer ends.

'Compression coil springs 82, 83 encircle the rods between the collars 80, 8| and the tool carriers I0,- Il, ball'bearing thrust collars 84. 85 being provided to take'the thrust of the springs and reduce friction The tool carriers hav arms 86, 81 fixed thereto. Single-acting fluid pressure operated cylinders 88, 89 are pivotally mounted re spectively, as at 90, St to arms50, 5I. They have pistons 92.93 fixed toirods 94, 95 which in turn are pivotally connected to the ends of arms 86 81. Tension coil springs 98, 91 have .theirends-secured respectively to arms 50, 5t and armsBB, '81. The arrangement is such that cylinder '88 is used to rotate toolholder M in aclockwisedirection, as seen inFig. land cylinder 09 is-used to rotatev tool holder II in a counterclockwise direction, while springs 96, 51 aroused to return the tool holders in'the opposite directiona For providing automatic operation of the tools through a ey'cleiof operations a three-.way-reversing valve. I00 adapted for manual control (see Fig. 3-)"15 supplied by fiu'idsuch' as com pressed air, through a line I from a' pressure source (not shown). -A pipe I02 connects the valve to the head end of cylinder 40.- A pipe Hi3 connects the valve to the rod end of the same cylinder. By operating the-lever I04, the opera- I tor may at one position of the valve supply fluid under pressure from line I0| to the cylinder 40 through pipe I02 and at the same time exhaust fluid. from the rod end of the cylinder through pipe I03 causing the pistonto move to the right as seen in the drawings and raising the arms 50,

, under pressure to the rod end of the cylinder 40 through pipe I03 and exhaust the head end through pipe I02 to bring the arms backtothe fullline position of Fig. 2. A normally closedto pressure and open to exhaust two-way valve F05 is mounted on carriage 23. Alever I06 is pivotally mounted on the carriage with one end thereof resting on the plunger of the valve. The other end is adapted to be engaged by a stop I 01 on lever- 39 The arrangement is such that when the arms 50, 5| arein the raised or dot-and-cash position of Fig. 2 the valve is closed and in the lowered or full line position of the arms as-seen in Fig. 2, the valve is held open. One side of the valve issupplied with fluid under pressure from 55 to counteract springs BI; 65 and fluid pressure line "H. A pipe I03 upplies fluid under pressure directly to cylinders 54, 55 and through sequence or delayed time valves I09, ||Ii to cylinders 88, 89. The arrangement is such that when valve I05 is opened cylinders 54, 55 immediately move arms 50, 5| toward each other and there after cylinders 88, 89 will move tool holders 10, II about their pivots in a direction to press the stitcher wheels radially outward of the building drum, and upon reversing valve I00 arms 50, 5| will be raised closing the supply of pressure fluid to valve I05 and opening it to exhaust cylinders 54, 55 immediately and eventually cylinders 08, causing arms 50, 5| to first move apart and then causing stitcher wheels I6, 11 to be moved radially inward with respect to the building form. An adjusting screw I I2 is threaded through lever I05 and may bead-justed to time the opening of valve I05to pressure fluid. This screw is adjusted so that during the lowering of arms 50, 5| the arms will start to move toward each other causing the stitcher wheel to contact with side walls of the tire casing just above the bead portions and before the arms 50, 5|. have reached their horizontal position. At this position the stitcher wheels start tostitch the fabric toward the inner margins of the bead portions: As the stitcher wheels near the radially innermost portions of the beads, cylinders 88, Biturn the stitcher wheels toward positions parallelwith the plane of rotation of the tire carcass and continue their turning movement about the bead cores so as tostitch the fabric outwardly along the inner face of the bead portions between the bead portions and the former or drum. This action tucks the edges of the fabric into the space between the tire and the drum and exerts a force radially outward of the drum, breaking loosethe sides of the tire 035-} ing' from the drum, which facilitates removal of the completed carcass from the drum. It also causes the fabric to be stitched neatly over the inner face of the tire casing.

The operation of the apparatus is as follows:

During the application of the underbead plies or the tire, the setting of the bead cores and the application of overbead plies of fabric to the drum th arms 50, 5| stand in thevertical inoperative position showrr in dot-and-dash lines of Fig. 2, as these operations are performed by other mechanism forming no part of the invention. The operator then applies to the tire one or more plies which are to be extended about the bead cores. These are stitched as far as the bead portions by other mechanism leaving radially'inwardly extending skirts of fabric at the bead portions. The operator then depresses the operating pedal of valve I00 admitting fluid under pressure to the rod end of cylinder 40 and causing arms 50, 5| to descend. toward the horizontal position. As the stitcher" wheels reach the elevation' of the sidewalls of the tire, stop I0 1 en-.

gages and opens valve I05 causing the cylinders 54, 55 to move the arms toward each other and bringing the stitcher wheels into engagement with the sidewalls at the. bead portions of the tire. Immediately following, the cylinders 08,..89start to turn the tool supports as the stitcher wheels areforced about the smallest diameter of the bead portions forcing the-stitcher wheels radially outward of the tire, and as the arms continue feeding the stitcher wheels towardeach other, the wheels are forced along the base of the bead pore tions and over the inner faces of the bead portions. smoothing the fabric therealong and breakin: the adhesive engagement of the 'tireto the building drum. At this position the operator reverses valve causing the arms 50, to separate and return to their vertical positions. As the sequence valves I09, H0 cause the delay of action of cylinders fla, 89 until cylinders 54, 55 have started to separate arms 50, 5|, this action forces the bead portions outwardly of the lateral faces of the drum loosening the tire therefrom at positions above the bead portions.

The apparatus is especially useful in buildin truck, bus, and airplane tires, where the tires are of large size and considerable force is required to separate the tire from the lateral sides of the drum due to its stiffness.

Variations may be made without departing from the scope of the invention as it is defined by the following claims.

We claim:

1. Apparatus for forming plies about the bead portions of tire casings and breaking the bead portions loose from a rotatable supporting drum during rotation of said drum, said apparatus comprising a pair of stitching wheels, a pair of arms rotatable about an axis parallel to that of the supporting drum for supporting said stitching wheels, means for rotating said arms together about their axis to move said stitching wheels toward and away from the axis of said drum to eifect stitching and breaking movements radially of the sidewall of a tire casing on said drum, and means for moving said arms laterally of said drum during said breaking movement to force the sidewalls of the tire casing away from said drum.

2. Apparatus for forming plies about the bead portions of tire casings and breaking the bead portions loose from a rotatable supporting drum during rotation of said drum, said apparatu comprising a pair of stitching wheels, a pair of arms rotatable about an axis parallel to that of the supporting drum for supporting said stitching wheels, means for rotating said arms together about their axis to move said stitching wheels toward and away from th axis of said drum to effect stitching and breaking movements radially of the sidewall of a tire casing on said drum, and means for moving said arms laterally of said drum during said breaking movement to force the sidewalls of the tire casing away from said drum, said last named means comprising a power operated motor element controlled in its operation by the position of the arms in their rotative movement. 3. Apparatus for forming plies about the bead portions of tire casings and breaking the bead portions loose from a rotatable supporting drum during rotation of said drum, said apparatus comprising a pair of stitching wheels, a pair of arms rotatable about an axis parallel to that of the supporting drum for supporting said stitching wheels, means for rotating said arms together about their axis to move said stitching wheels toward and away from the axis of said drum to effect stitching and breaking movements radially of the sidewall of a tire casing on said drum, and means for moving aid arms laterally of said drum during said breaking movement to force the sidewalls of the tire casing away from said drum, said last named means comprising a pressure fluid operated cylinder, a valve controlling operation of said cylinder, and cam means associated with said arms and operable in their swinging movement to control said valve by contact therewith.

4. Apparatus for forming plies about the bead portions of. tire casings and breaking the bead portions loose from a rotatable supporting drum during rotation .of said drum, said apparatus comprising a pair of stitching wheels, a pair of arms rotatable about anaxis parallel to that of the supporting drum for supporting said titching wheels, means for rotatingsaid arms together about their axis to move said stitching wheels toward and away from; the axis of said drum to efiect stitching and breaking movements radially of the sidewall of a tire casing on said drum, and means for changing the angular relation of said stitching wheels with relation to their supporting arms, said lastnamed means comprising a power operated motor element controlled in its operation by the position of the arms in their rotative movement. z

v5. Apparatus for forming plies about the bead portions of tire casings and breaking the bead portions loose from a rotatable upporting drum during rotation of said drum, said apparatus comprising a pair of stitchingwheels, a pair of arms rotatable about an axis parallel to that of the supporting drum for supporting said stitching wheels, means for rotating said arms together about their axis to move said stitching wheels toward and away from the axis of said drum to efiect stitching and breaking movements rodially of the sidewallof a tire casing on said drum, and means for changing the angular relation of said stitching wheels with relation to their supporting arms, said last named means comprising a pressure fluid operated cylinder, a valve controlling operation of said cylinder, and cam' means associated with said arms and operable in their swinging movement to control said valve by contact therewith.

6. Apparatus for forming plies about the bead portions of tire casings and breaking the bead portions loose from a rotatable supporting drum during rotation of said drum, said apparatus comprising a pair of stitching wheels, a pair of arms rotatable about an axis parallel to that of the supporting drum for supporting said stitching wheels, means for rotating said arms together about their axis to move said stitching wheel toward and away from the axis of said drum to effect stitching and breaking movements radially of the sidewall of a tire casing on said drum, and means for changing the angular relation of said stitching wheels with relation to their supporting arms and for simultaneously moving saidarms laterally of said drum during said stitching movement, said last named means comprising fluid pressure operated cylinders on said arms, a valve for controlling operation of said cylinders, and cam means associated with said arms for controlling said valve by contact therewith during movement of said arms.

7. Apparatus for forming plies about the bead portions of tire casings and breaking the beadportions loose from a rotatable supporting drum during rotation of said drum, said apparatus comprising a pair of rotatable stitching wheels, tool holders supporting said wheels for rotation about axes perpendicular to the axes of the wheels, a pair of arms rotatable as a unit about an axis parallel to that of the supporting drum for supporting said tool holders, means on said arms for rotating their respective tool holders about their axes with respect to said arms, means for moving said arms toward and from each other, means for moving said arms in their unitary rotative movement, and means in the path of rotation of said arms as a unit and operable by contact with said arms for automatically controlling the movement of said arms with respect to each other and the movement of saidv tool holders with respect to saidsrmsr 8 Apparatus for forming plies about the'bead portions of tire casings andbreaking the bead portions loose from: a. rotatable supporting drum of the under-cut type during rotation of said drum, said: apparatus comprising a; pair 01 rotatable stitching wheels, tool holders supporting said whee-Is tor rotation about axes perpendicular to the axes of the wheels, a pair at arms rotatable as a unit about an axis parallel to that of the supporting drum. for supporting said tool holders, means on said arms for rotating theirrespective tool holders about their axes with respectto said.

arms, means for moving said arms toward and tram each other, meansior moving said arms in their unitary rotatlvemovement, and means in the path of rotation of said arms as a, unit and operable: by contact with said arms for automatically controlling the movement of said arms with respect to each other and the movement of said tool holders with respect to said arms, said last named means comprising a master valve, cam means associated with said arms for controlling flow of pressure fluid through said valve, pressure fluid operated cylinders on said arms for rotating the tool support with respect thereto, sequence valves between said master valve and said cylinders providing delayed action thereof, and cylinders fed directly through said master valve tor controlling movement of said arms .toward and from each other.

FRANK S. STERNAD. JOHN P. SAPP. 

